Home Free Global Nomads: Back on the Road June 2020

We leave Vitambi Springs after saying our goodbyes to Roger and Vince, Carlos and Martin.  We will be back to the campground in the future.

We had to go to Walmart to purchase a new coffee maker.  We walked in with masks and gloves, made our purchase and left.

Our appointment is for Tuesday Gerzeny's, we spent Monday night at our friends, David and Lair's house parked in the driveway.  We met them at Vitambi, enjoying their company. We finally have full solar operational on the rig, Keith and I had to finish the wiring.  After 4 hours of work we have dinner with Greg.

We go back to our home on wheels and call it a night.  We are parked in at the back entrance of Gerzeny's to allow the adhesive to cure.

Our last sunrise over the Lake for a while

Keith and I after dinner

We woke the next morning and decided to head out of Fort Myers. We had planned to stay longer and visit here but with the COVID numbers increasing here, we set off to the Florida Roomies.  They have been quarantined for months, it is always say being with Josh and JP.

We ended up staying with Josh and JP for 8 days. Great conversations, movies, walks and catching up on life.  We did have dinner with Scott and James one evening with fresh sourdough flatbread. We tried to make the sourdough bread in the bread matter but it was a brick, Scott had given us the starter while in Vitambi Springs.

We leave Josh and JP on 10Jun destination Serenity Acres Farms in Pinetta, FL. The trip was easy heading west towards the coastline of Florida then northwards on the back roads.  We could have been there in 2 hours but missed out on naturally preserved areas and old Florida towns.

Keith was working with Partners In Health for contract tracing while I drove through little known areas of Florida. We both were exited to drive back through Live Oak, we were here for the RV Rally with RVillage in February.

Serenity Acres Farms was our first Harvest Host. We joined this community to give us alternative places to stay and camp, safely off the beaten path and find interesting people and places for a night or a couple of nights.

We found that at Serenity Acres, Julia was formerly from Germany and actually lived in Düsseldorf.  The Germany connection continues to grow no matter where we are.  Julia and her husband, Wayne run a goat farm. They sell goat products at local farmer's market and online.  We thoroughly enjoyed the visit. We met some of the wonderful people that work at the farm from communities like WOOF and Work Away.

Dandelion and Joe stopped by the rig and invited us over for a campfire by their cabin.  They had been on the farm for 5 months. So we stopped over and chat until late in the night. We enjoyed their company.

One of the Nubien bucks by us

Saanen goats are the largest breed of dairy goat

Path from the rig to the bucks and bucklings (adolescent males)

Had to take this photo for the color

Adolescent Nubien bucklings running toward me to get pet

Our home fo the evening, this is serenity!

Capturing the setting sun in reflection

Sun dances in the tree and air plants above us

Pick me up, too!, two baby bucks. So cute

Julia took these photos of us with the baby goats, Crumble and Cricket

Cabin where Dandelion and Joe stay, tranquility and peaceful.

We took our time in the morning, relaxing with the staff before to head off towards Alabama. We purchased some pleasant soaps from goat milk, Yogurt and milk for breakfast cereal.  We watched the goats get milked with care.  Serenity Acres Farms is the home of the Happy Goats.  (https://www.serenitygoats.com).  We felt welcome thoroughly enjoyed our connection with Julia and Serenity Acres Farm...we will return to visit again.

While walking to the rig from the barn I caught site of this interesting creature and entered it on iNaturalist, this is  a Zummara smaragdula. Found in northern Central American and South America from Costa Ric to Bolivia.

I created a stir on iNaturalist as this species is not usually found this far north but with the storms coming from the south it could have been caught up in the winds or was caught in a plant imported to FL.

We take a later than expected start on the day, Keith started driving at 10:50 am but he needed to get set up for work which started at 11:30, we stopped at the end of the driveway. Once we had good cell the GPS kicked in and off we go to Alabama.

Sweet Home Alabama indeed....reminds me of the Lynyrd Skynyrd song.

While traveling on Rt 231 through the countryside of southern Alabama, we had a sensor go off and felt a jerking motion with the rig. Luckily we we 5 miles from a Mercedes Benz dealer in Dothan, that took us in to do the repair. It was an ESP (speed sensor that knocked out the cruise control and ABS brakes).  We appreciated the speed and understanding that we live full time in the RV.  We were socially distancing in the waiting room and back on the road within a couple of hours.

Once we were back on the road, our sights were on Corbin Farms Winery in Calera, AL.  Our second Harvest Host, that evening they were open until 21:00.  We arrived at 19:00, just in time to order food and have a glass of wine.  We were impressed with this small winery, open air seating with more than enough space between tables and guests. The servers wore masks and gloves.  There was live music and a beautiful sunset.

Serenity Farms Acres, Pinetta, FL to Corbin Farms Winery Calera, AL

We ordered our food and drinks, after driving 337 miles we made it (5hr 33 min driving and 2.5 hours at the dealer)

Our selfie with the sun and the old truck

Corbin Farms Winery all a glow

Spacious seating and social distancing, you can see our table in the corner

Nice touch with old pick-up truck and casks

Good morning Corbin Farms Winery

Next stop Joe Huber's Family Farm in Starlight, IN.

Going through Kentucky, we made a pit stop to see Mary-Lee and Richard in Louisville before heading up into Indiana. We were 40 minutes from the next Harvest Host. We arrived on time for dinner before the kitchen closed.  The dining room only had on table with guests and we were quite a distance away.  The server was wearing a mask and gloves, took our order and it felt like minutes had our food on the table.  The fried chicken was recommended and was well worth it.  We could not finish our meal and took it back with us.

The settled in by the 'lake' with a peaceful view of the property. We walked around some and saw the sunset over the property before we settled in for the evening.  Another good Harvest Host experience.

Entrance to the farm and parking lot

Lake on the far side of the property

Sunset with shadows over the lake

Up early and ready to head to our final destination on this trip, Alto, MI to see Gram.  We have covered a lot of the count going on back roads and off the usual track, it has been worth it.  

Starlight, IN to Alto, MI

We arrived in Alto on 14Jun, traveling fairly quick over 4 days from Orlando, FL.  We went though 5 states on this trip (FL, AL, TN, KY & IN).  We plan to stay in Michigan to finalize some unfinished business then hope t be back on the road for our reservations in July.

Our GearSpace 34 from let's go aero arrived early, we place the onto Untethered after washing her.  The GearSpace will soon be home to two bikes.

When I can, I am still capturing things of interest like this Twelve-spotted Skimmer

Our new GearSpace34 that we attached to the home on wheels

With COVID19 hitting the US, we have taken a break from travel as the pandemic has increased in the Southwest and the Rocky Mountain States.  The new storage unit is now on.  We did take a day trip with Gram to South Haven but other than to the store and back, we have played lots of cards, Keith worked until the 26Jul before being laid-off and walking daily.

Washed, waxed, cleaned interior and storage unit attached...ready to hit the road

South Haven Lighthouse, Lake Michigan wind and waves

Made our first sourdough bread, thanks to Scott and James for the pointers

Some random photos taken on the loop walk from the house and back:

We have reached the end of the month of June, the month has flown by since leaving Clewiston, FL and heading here to West Michigan.  We do not know when we will hit the road, we do have reservations at Glacier National Park but it does not look promising with COVID on the rise in Montana too.

Home Free Global Nomads: South Central Florida Pandemic April to May 2020

We enter the month of April with extremely warm weather and sunny days.  The pool is refreshing and we spend many days there watering gardens and grass area. Keith has been raking under the trees and clearing the grounds from leaves and fallen branches.  We are enjoying the time here with new friends we have made over March.

We start the mornings with a brisk walk either within the campground to the back of the property or towards the main highway that runs parallel to the campground to visit the alligators and look for oranges.

Here we are in just west of Clewiston center.

The pool area, where we spend our days watering the plants and working around the pool

The mornings here are just breathtaking

The mist rises from the lake across the road from us

The World outside the campground/resort is now alien to us, as we have not left since our arrival in March.  We have extended our stay through April to beginning of May, depending on the outcome of the pandemic. How quickly plans change and we are now settled into our current life.  We are lucky to have our health and ability to walk in a natural setting with so much wildlife around us to enjoy.

Red Shoulder Hawk watches over the road

Thistle in bloom at our campsite

After we raked the leaves out and started watering before we moved back to the Bamboo site on 4April

Home Sweet Home

Male, Green Florida Anole

Female Florida Green Anole and Cuban Brown Anole, the green anole has become rare with the introduction of the Cuban (Caribbean species)

Florida's native green anoles (pronounced "uh-noles"), anoils carolinensis, found themselves in competition with the Cuban brown anoles (Anolis sagrei) over a century ago. Native to Cuba, the Bahamas, and the Cayman Islands, Cuban brown anoles are now the most common lizard in many urbanized parts of Florida.
We left The Lodge after game night on 8Apr to the Pink Moon lighting our way back to our site. A magical evening walking with no other light but the moon. No light pollution and the still of the night.

The full moon of April gets its “Pink Moon” nickname from Native Americans who named it after “moss pink,” or wild ground phlox—one of the early spring flowers in US. 

The weather in Florida has been extremely hot with temperatures reaching the low to high 90's for weeks.  Some days the heat is so intense we spend time in the shade and pool.  Walking/hiking has been a great source to spend the mornings, as well as exercise and weight loss.

On 11Apr we joined our new friends from Ohio (Ray and Jeff) post quarantine to go to the Bird Sanctuary Trail. We drove 6 miles from the campground and turned down a dirt road to a large parking area.  The birds in this sanctuary were beautiful and the amount of alligators was beyond belief. The day started off overcast and cloudy with a lot of bird activity then the sun appeared. The temperatures increased and got up to the 80's.

A man-made wetland designed to aid in Everglades restoration, the Stormwater Treatment Area 5/6 (STA-5/6) rests on approximately 17,000 acres in eastern Hendry County. This South Florida Water Management property has become one of the premier bird-watching areas in the state through an enduring partnership with the Hendry-Glades Audubon Society, which offers limited, seasonal escorted driving tours of the area by reservation. More than 200 bird species have been confirmed during these excursions! In addition, a portion of the Florida National Scenic Trail runs along the L-3 levee on the west side of the STA. Shell-rocked parking, an informational kiosk, picnic shelter, restrooms and over 20 miles of trails on unpaved levee roads including a covered shade shelter and a boardwalk are all open to the public throughout the 10-square-mile area. (taken from the Hendry Glade Audubon Brochure found online at hendrygladesaudubon.org) 

Thistle plant was at least 6 feet tall blowing in the wind. The beauty of the flower is just majestic

Red Winged Blackbird in flight

These butterflies were clustered together and did not even flinch when we approached

Baby alligator looks up just as we looked down at him 

One of the three we were looking at from the bank of the canal

You can see for miles, this area is vast and flat

The levies go for miles, this particular one is 13.5 miles long with canals on either side. Keith is walking with Ray and Jeff (from the campground post their quarantine)

Swallow Tailed Kite

Boat-Tailed Grackle

Egrets in flight

Crested Caracara

We continue to explore the campground, taking in new paths and finding new interesting places, flora and fauna.  The hikes are invigorating, for mind and body.  Getting out everyday and walking looking for new bird species, snakes, and flora is so relaxing and peaceful.

American Crow

Black Vultures

Stormwater Treatment Area 5/6

The wildlife refuge is located on approximately 17,000 acres in eastern Hendry County, Stormwater Treatment Area 5/6 (STA-5/6) has become one of the premier bird-watching areas in Florida through a long-standing partnership with the Hendry-Glades Audubon Society. The entrance is off State Highway 835 to Deer Fence Canal Road in rural Clewiston.

Killdeer out for a leisurely walk along the levy

Red-shouldered Hawk get out of the late morning sun

Large male Alligator near the treatment center

Pair of Tricolored Herons take flight from the canal below

Tricolored Heron

Green Heron

During our hike we came along these limes and some guava

Jeff and Ray as we walk back to the car late in the morning, it was in the 90's and very humid

Keith in the lead, Ray and Jeff walking back in the oppressive heat

Eastern Meadowlark on the wire

Halloween Pennant, Dragonfly

Ring Snake

The temperatures have soared here consistently in the mid to high 90's with extreme humidity, the numbers of nats and mosquitos have grown. We are now getting severe thunderstorms rolling through for the next few days according to the forecast until 1May.

After the rainstorms we appreciate the cooler evenings and early morning walks.  The mist rising over the forest and fields are wonderful to watch.  Our little piece of spiritual, magical paradise.  We are very lucky to be here away from the cosmopolitan areas.

Gulf Fritillary or passion butterfly

Regal Darner, species of darner in the family of Dragonfllies known as Aeshidae.  Beautiful green eyes and body.

Abbott's Bagworm Moth case made up of twigs

Raccoon tracks left in the mud

We spent many days hiking throughout the campground amongst natural Florida forests and fields. The days past peacefully but sadly many of the group started to leave to head north.  The campground reopened for customers to come in on the weekends.  We stayed isolated and safe but had to leave the end of May for Fort Myers to get the final install on the solar.

Wild flowers in the paths

juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk sits on one of the RVs in storage

Keith and I light the barn fire for Memorial Day weekend

We volunteered to help food services in expediting food orders and delivering the items to the pool or placing them in the pick up area in the Café.

Fourpetal St. Johnswort

Happy men with great haircuts

Pitted Stripseed

Corn Snake

Gulf Fritillary

White Peacock butterfly

After the rains pass we walk up to SR 835 to see the sunset with Vince and Roger.  Wood Storks are in the channel

Sunset over the cattle fields

With much anxiety we prepare to leave Vitambi Springs on Monday morning for Fort Myers and the outside world.  We have loved our time in the campground for 3 months protected from the chaos of the world we live in.